Abbas, Meshaal to meet today to discuss Gaza truce: official

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal will meet in Qatar Sunday to discuss a truce in Gaza, day 13 of an Israeli offensive, an official said.

The official close to Abbas, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said: "The president will meet Meshaal to discuss ways of reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip," where Israel's campaign has killed more than 340 Palestinians since July 8.

Sunday's meeting comes after the Islamist movement that controls the coastal territory said it had passed on its conditions for a ceasefire to Abbas, Qatar, Turkey and the Arab League.

Hamas's conditions include "an end to aggression against the Palestinian people", lifting the blockade on the territory, and opening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

They also include freedom of movement for Gaza Palestinians in the area bordering Israel, freeing prisoners rearrested after being exchanged for a seized Israeli soldier, and extending the territory's fishing zone.